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Three times this week, people that I like and genuinely care about, absolutely independant of each other, came to me with open hands to say, "I'm not creating art right now. I haven't in a good long while. I really want to be. Can you help me make something happen?"
I wanted to. In all three conversations, I really wanted to. All three of them are talented, clever improvisers. Any team with a clue, would be happy to have them. And yet, for whatever reason, they're not working right now. I wanted to help them all.
But the truth is, I don't have any juice anymore. No actual authority to make anything happen for them. Maybe a few years ago, when I had a title at The Playground. A job with responsibilities and a seat at the big table, maybe then.
But things have changed.
I'm outside the loop and I don't hear the scuttlebutt anymore. (I not-so-secretly suspect that there's not much scuttlebutt to actually hear, anyways.)
I honestly don't know what's going on at the theater anymore. I don't go see shows unless I'm playing. Watching other people improvise poorly makes me physically angry. I keep forgetting why exactly, I don't just stand up and say, "This is fucking terrible. You're all out there imitating the way that you've seen people improvise at IO. Badly! Why don't you do something ANYTHING original?!?" I sit in the audience and I want to scream at the people that I see improvising on the stage. I know that there's a reason why I'm not supposed to scream at them from the audience, but I don't know what that reason is anymore.
Nowadays, I don't scream at them because I've excused myself to step out back and wait until the show is over.
Which is less a statement about how intolerant I am and more a statement of how bad things are on that stage.
It's distressing to know these fine, talented performers are out there, hoping that someone will give them a chance, give them a stage to make their art on and also to know that A.) what they're aspiring to, isn't what they think it will be and B.) I can't help them get it, even if I want to.
The whole situation is pretty fucked up and sad.
21 comments:
Why didn't you point them at the Incubator auditions? That's a good way to get onto a team. That's how you did. You're not even trying to find positive things anymore... you're just saying, "Oh, well. Nothing can be done." When actually, there's lots to be done. Like pointing people to open auditions.
The biggest problem at the Playground right now is apathy. That's why you're part of the problem.
I specifically DIDN'T point them towards the Incubator program because all three of them are older, experienced improvisers. And they're longing to be on a team of other experienced improvisers. And not a new ensemble of newbs, teaching them Improv 101, with every rehearsal and show.
That's not an unreasonable concern of theirs. And I respect that. So the theory that I'm just looking for excuses to shit on the theater doesn't work.
Look man, let me be absolutely clear here. You're WAY too close to the theater. Too much of what people say about that place is too much tied into what you think people are saying about you. Criticisms that people have about the place, you turn into criticisms about you.
Aaaaaaaand, you've got years of defenses built up against any criticisms of the theater...
"If you don't like it, get out."
"If you don't like it, run your own theater."
"If you don't like it, hold position at the theater, yourself."
"You don't know what you're talking about, so your opinion doesn't matter."
"You're just looking for any excuse to bag on the theater, so this particular criticism doesn't matter."
"You hate Matt/Speedy/Rampson/Me, so you're taking it out on the theater."
"The theater is making money, so that means that the system works, doesn't it?"
"The theater has been around for ten years, so that means the system works, doesn't it?"
"Your apathy is killing the theater."
I've personally seen you use those specific rebuttles in discussions and online, time and time again.
I've never heard you ever say, "Hey, maybe what you're saying has some value there. What solutions are you thinking of for that problem?" and then actually work to implement the suggestions that you, yourself, didn't come up with.
Some people wouldn't argue that it's apathy killing the theater.
Some people would say that it's the old guard, holding onto their power, suppressing new ideas and new contributors and forcing the "way we've always done it" on people time and time again. That's easily as big a problem as "apathy" is, in theater administration.
Now then, tell me why I'm wrong. Tell me why I'm misinformed or predujudiced. What tactic are you going to use THIS TIME to disregard my opinion?
Mr.B
Simple. The truth.
If you don't like what you see, why don't you bring your expertise into sheparding a new troupe? The Playground was BEGGING for experienced directors to work with the Incubator program. You could have put your stamp on a brand-new group. I brought this up to you. You said no.
You've become jaded. And frankly, when I tell you about specific ways you can address problems you see, like reporting bad shows to the appropriate people, you tell me it doesn't work. How do you know? When was the last time you tried? Because the answer I get from the people that CAN change things is simple... "No one mentions these shows to us, and we can't see them all."
Also, you completely ignored me when I told you that there WERE changes being implemented with the half-assed apathetic argument, "Oh, well. I can't see them, so they must not be happening."
WHAT?
That's just plain weak. And I do agree with you (and have) that there are problems... but I'm actually working on fixing them instead of sitting on my ass complaining. And yes, I honestly believe if you are not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. Two specific examples are not reporting bad shows to the appropriate people, and not stepping up to teach a younger generation of improvisors the RIGHT way to work.
it's not enough to complain, Chris. And you spouting solutions without putting forth the energy to see them through is just plain weak. That's a Gilley move.
Finally, to your friends that you think are too advanced for the Incubator program... you can put them on your team. You can do that much. If they're not the right fit, you can send emails or make phone calls to other teams and see if they're looking. But at some point, if they can't find a team to be on, maybe it's their problem and not the Playground's.
Also, some of my responses may be often used, but they're still dead-on. If you hate what you see so much, and you don't want to do anything to fix it, you should quit coming. Life is waaaaaaay too short to be doing things you don't like to do or visit establishments you can't stand to be in.
Also, I didn't say YOUR apathy was killing the theater... I said the biggest problem at the theater was apathy in general. Which you are feeding into, you have to admit it.
And yes, if no one is listening to you and you have a better model, then please GOD start your own theater. Otherwise it gets old hearing about how you know so much and no one will listen to you. So old.
I've never used the bulk of those arguments, so that's a straw-man I won't get involved with.
Yes, I say it a lot, and I'll never stop saying it... if you can't help, then either get out or shut up. Because those of us that ARE doing the work? We don't really wanna hear your weak-ass shit.
Fellas, I think you're forgetting the most important thing here, that Silly Cat Comix are the ONLY comix to provide FUN and SAFETY!
Read 'em Outloud!
http://www.sillycat.com
For those playing along at home, the only defense that I listed above that Hendo HASN'T used is
"You don't like Matt/Speedy/Rampson/Me, so you're taking it out on the theater."
Everything else that I said up there, he's stated here or said to me in our one phone conversation about this today.
Ver-Ba-Tim.
Which is fucking ridiculous.
Once again, an opinion that Hendo doesn't like, get's the same old grinder put to it and dismissed as "weak-ass shit".
No ego at the theater is threatened more easily than yours is, Hendo. I've never seen somebody so closed off to anything new, than you are.
I can't tell if you really don't remember what I said on the phone today or you're intentionally saying something different because you believe it, but I never said, "I can't see it, so it must not be happening." You pulled that one out of thin air.
I think what I actually said was, "Well, if there's more information, then I think I'll take that in and change my opinion." It's called "flexibility", Hendo. You DO remember my saying that, don't you?!?
Hey, thanks for proving my point today about the old guard and their absolute resistance to change. Thanks for calling me "Gilley" and "weak ass shit". Thanks for dismissing everything that I said.
I don't think that I could've made my point as clearly without your help.
Keep on keeping on, brother.
COB
Are you two getting a divorce or something?
Crescent,
You weren't supposed to hear all of that, honey.
Sometimes Daddy and Hendo ... just disagree. We still love each other very much. And we still love you too, honey.
We just need some Yelling Time, because Mommy can be such an assface about Playground stuff.
Don't you worry about it. You go to bed and sleep just fine. Daddy and Hendo will keep our voices down. We're STILL going to Disneyland in the Spring.
We love you baby.
Daddy.
(Please note that I've made Hendo the mommy in this scenario. Totally intentional.)
Actually, I DID bring up some changes, and you said, VER BATIM, that you couldn't see them online, so they must not be happening.
Ver batim.
And I've NEVER said, "you don't know what your talking about, so your opinion doesn't matter." That, Chris, is a fucking lie.
And again, I never said YOUR apapthy was killing the theater. That's at least a misunderstanding of what I said and at worst a willful twisting of my words. I'll leave that to you as to which one is true.
You did say you'd take things in if changes were made and change your opinion... but you reversed yourself on that within 30 seconds. Because I responded, "Good! Now that you can see changes are being made, go ahead and report that bad show." To which you said no. And then you said, "I'm looking at the website now, and nothing has been changed." Because our webmaster didn't get around to it, sure. But since he's moving to Israel, I tend to give him a little slack.
I called you Gilley because you use the same arguments he does. You want change, but you don't want to do any of the work. And talk about ego? If anyone disagrees with you, you crucify them for not listening to you.
I hate to tell you this, because it will only inflate your oversized ego, but I took you seriously enough to get on the phone and emails to make sure that your issues were discussed. Turns out that many of your problems were already being discussed and the fixes were already in the works.
You're actually proving to be part of the old guard. The new guard is the group doing the work and making changes. You're not being left out of the loop, btw. You removed yourself. So maybe you don't have valid arguments anymore because your arguing points that have already been solved or are in the process of being solved.
Seriously, step up and quit complaining. Can't you see what you're doing?
Sorry you had to hear that, Crescent-baby.
Mommy's moving out for a while. Daddy's an abusive dick.
Whatever, Hendo.
It's my blog, dude. I can write whatever I want here.
And I don't require some sort of demonstration of work at the theater to be ALLOWED to have a contradictory opinion about ...well... anything really.
They're my opinions.
And because of the democratization of the internet, I can come here and print them whenever I want to.
If you don't like it, click on over to some other blog, buddy. You have plenty of them available for your perusal.
Cheers,
COB
You guys are total gayrods.
So you guys talked about this on the phone yet still are arguing in blog comments? What gives with that. As an outsider that's kinda strange.
I'm at work right now. I can't get into a shouting match on my office phone.
But I CAN type any damned thing I want to, in a comment box.
That's why this thing continues here and not in a phone call.
Also, we BOTH think we're absolutely right here and that we have free reign to give the other one a piece of our mind. I would say that THIS sort of behavior is the most embarassingly accurate demonstration of why people say that we're so much alike.
Also, Hendo is a bitch and if he were to say this weak-ass pussy-shit to my face, I'd slap him down for mouthing off to me. That's how I roll.
Cheers,
Mr.B
PS. While you're visiting the blog, take a second a check out the "Best of" section. That's where I keep my best stuff. Enjoy!
oh, please. You couldn't slap your own fat ass.
Now, now. You want to check yo'self, bitch. Yo mouth is gettin' yo ass in trouble, heah now.
I let that one slide. Yo ass is all up in turmoil, you don' know what crazy shit you sayin'.
I let that one go by, baby.
Love,
Yo Daddy.
fuck off, Ike.
it's like reality tv... but with out the beeped out words...
Bid-O:
Hey, long time listener, first time caller.
Say, did you point these three improvisers TO EACH OTHER?
Now THAT would've been the good idea. I wish I'd thought of it a week ago.
Smart thinking, Paul.
Cheers,
Mr.B
There's actually quite a lot of scuttle-butt. there's a bunch of big changes happening.
Come to the March board meeting.
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